Jess took a moment to think out a plan of action. The elderly elf seemed kindly enough but her whole school plan would stall without students, human or otherwise, and the wood folk were the key, so to speak, to unlock her next steps.

"Is there any way that we can get someone else to speak to?" Jess whispered to Mike through a polite smile.

"I was hoping for the Wisdom. She's usually the leader in trades like these," Mike replied in a hushed tone.

Wonderful, Jess thought. That would be a firm ‘no’ then.

"Elder, Sir. I'm hoping to start out the school in this area. I need your help to be able to do this." she said.

The Elder nodded along, holding his hearing horn to his ear, but Jess couldn't be sure if he actually knew what she was talking about.

"I was hoping that some of your young folk would be interested in attending," she said. "It will be open to all children who are school age and willing to learn."

"Ehh?" the Elder barked. "Burn?"

"Learn!" she stressed, raising her voice, but the elderly gent seemed not to notice. Instead, he turned and began to hobble towards one of the wicker homes nearby, chuntering under his breath.

"Any ideas, Mike?" she asked, looking to the minotaur for support. His shrug was all she needed to know. So much for his great contacts with the wood folk.

A heated conversation was in full flow between the Elder and someone hidden from view. The opening of the ear trumpet he used had been thrust through the open door into the darkness within and it looked as though someone was speaking to him through it. his ancient face was screwed up, though Jess couldn't tell if he was angry or just concentrating on the words being spoken to him. At any rate, she couldn't hear what was being discussed and it would be rude to approach at this point.

Lady luck appeared to be on her side though as a younger elf stepped out from the shadows. The young woman was a similar height to the Elder, with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail that was adorned with flowers in a similar manner to the Elder's beard. She had a concerned expression on her freckled face. That’s not good. It was as though the elf was already prepared to deliver bad news.

"Forgive our Elder," she said as she approached, "he is hard of hearing."

We noticed, thought Jess, but maintained her poker-face.

"The offer that you speak of. The offer for the children," the elf said. "Why?"

The question didn’t shake Jess, but the expression in the she elf’s eyes did. Suspicion. Likely earned through experience.

“Education should be available to all,” said Jess, carefully watching the elf.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” replied the elf. Her shoulders held firm.

"I believe that we might be able to learn more from each other than some of the other schools might have realised."

“We have tried to teach humans before. You send your druids. Your alchemists. You don’t learn,” the elf said, crossing her arms.

“What about children?” asked Jess.

“Our children already…”

Jess raised a hand to stop the elf. “I was talking about our children. Human children. They’d be young enough to care. Young enough to learn.”

The elf hesitated and for a moment, her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“What would our children get from this?” the elf asked.

Jess smiled warmly. “I don’t know.”

The elf cocked her head, bamboozled by Jess’s admission.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll teach them whatever I can,” explained Jess. “But it would be unprofessional, not to mention immoral, to decide what they could and couldn’t learn before even meeting them. Wouldn’t you agree?”

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The elf’s eyes narrowed. “Impossible to disagree with that statement.”

“So, if we can agree with some things,” Jess said. “Maybe there’s a way that we can work together to see what else we might agree with?”

The elf considered her words before turning to walk back towards the Elder elf. He was ushered inside the wicker dome that he stood aside, presumably to discuss their decision in private. Jess also wished to have a private conversation with Mike, mostly to ask what he had been smoking when he’d assumed that the wood folk were keen to join human schools. So far, they hadn’t exactly been welcomed with open arms.

When the younger elf re-emerged, Jess still couldn’t tell whether it appeared to be good news or bad. She approached them, stopping at a polite distance.

Throughout, the elf’s sole focus was Jess. “The Elder has decided that you allowed a chance to prove yourself.”

Better news than expected.

“You are allowed one question,” the elf warned. “The question will tell us all that we need to know about your character… And your worth.”

A myriad of questions ran through Jess’s mind. The loudest one being: What are you talking about?

“Do you understand?” the elf asked.

“No,” Jess replied, wide eyed. “No, I don’t think I do.”

“You can ask any question about us, our village, or our customs. Just one.” The elf’s eyes flitted briefly towards Mike. “And he’s not allowed to help you. Choose carefully.”

Shit.

The elf crossed her arms and Jess couldn’t help feeling the pressure. Just one question. How to choose?

She couldn’t even fathom what the elfs might think was a good question or a bad question. She could ask about the missing Wisdom to show that she has some idea about their hierarchy. She could ask about the children… but that might come across as selfish. There were so many flowers, she could ask about those and why the elfs have them in their hair. Maybe they just like flowers though.

There seemed to be too much at stake over the sake of a single question. In the end, Jess’s mind came back to a question that she had already asked before. One that, despite Mike’s previous concern, she did indeed want answered.

“Why aren’t there any butterflies?”

Mike groaned, leaving the elf looking confused. “Why would ye ask her that?”

“Well, I asked you and you wouldn’t tell me!” replied Jess.

“I said ye didn’t want to know.”

“You can’t just tell someone that ‘they don’t want to know’ and leave it at that,” argued Jess. “It’s like waving a red rag in front of a… in front of the proverbial.”

“What are ye talking about, Lass?”

The elf cleared her throat with a harsh cough. “If you two don’t mind me interrupting. Can you confirm that this is indeed the question that you have chosen to ask?”

“It is,” said Jess quickly, flashing Mike a warning glance. He returned a stern scowl but didn’t argue with her.

The elf bobbed her head in a brief nod. “Very well. I shall discuss your question and return shortly.”

Mike waited until she disappeared out of view before chastising Jess. “They’re going to think ye’re a fool.”

Jess’s face was a picture of shocked outrage. “Me the fool?”

“Why would ye ask them about the damned butterflies?”

“They said I could ask any question I wanted. Why wouldn’t I ask about them?”

“Butterflies have got nothing to do with the elfs,” Mike replied.

“Why does that matter?” Jess questioned grumpily.

“Why wouldn’t it matter?”

“Now you’re the one looking the fool,” admonished Jess. “Doesn’t matter what I ask them. At the end of the day, they’ll agree, or they won’t. This is just set dressing so they can pretend it’s not some arbitrary reason when they finally decide.”

Silence settled between them, and Jess assumed that Mike had accepted her logic. She just wished she was more confident with her decision. The words had felt hollow when said aloud. The uncomfortable silence stretched out and both Jess and Mike ended up seating themselves on the grass as they waited. It seemed to take an extraordinary length of time and Jess couldn’t help but wonder how many elfs were in the wicker dome taking part in the discussion. Hopefully they’re not still trying to get the Elder to hear them.

“We should have just gone to the padfeet,” said Mike quietly.

Jess looked up from where she had lazily been running blades of grass between her fingers to amuse herself.

“I don’t know the elfs that well,” admitted Mike. “Same with the dryads. They’re wood folk right enough, but they tend to keep themselves to themselves.”

“Why did we come then?” Jess asked.

“They’re the most long-lived races,” he explained before bashfully adding, “I know it’s important to ye to start looking for information. I just wanted this to be… helpful.”

Movement out of the corner of Jess’s eye caught her attention. The younger elf was returning at last and appeared to be boasting a relaxed smile. Jess shared a look with Mike before heaving herself off the ground and belatedly realised that she shouldn’t have sat cross-legged. Uncomfortable numbness that threatened to turn into shooting pains had settled in her feet.

“What’s the verdict?” Jess asked.

“The news was unexpected,” the elf said. “It has been decided that we shall allow five of our kin to attend your school.”

“That’s amazing!”

The elf gave a small nod, the small smile still upon her face.

“Can I ask what made them decide in my favour?” Jess asked.

The elf’s smile broadened into one of mischief. “Everyone knows that the fairies eat the butterflies. They’re like predatory locusts.”

Jess glanced to Mike who was nodding his head sagely.

“The Elder said it will be good for some of our less confident students to mix with humans, at least for a short while,” the elf continued. “They should find it easier to keep up with their fellow classmates.”

Jess felt her stomach drop.

Well, shit.